Abortion

What The Doctors Didn’t Tell You: The Truth about Chemical Abortion

January 16, 2023By

Recently two Philadelphia-area OB-GYNS penned an opinion piece extolling the safety of medication/chemical abortion which accounts for the majority of abortions both nationally and statewide.  In an attempt to normalize an extremely unnatural procedure, they omitted information that every young woman and the general public should know.

Chemical abortion involves a regimen of two pills. Mifepristone blocks progesterone, thereby cutting off nutrients to the developing (but indisputably human) living child. Misoprostol is taken a few days later to expel the child from the womb. The authors of the aforementioned piece claim that this is a “safe and easy” procedure.

Nothing can be further from the truth.

Chemical abortion has four times the complication rate of surgical abortion. (Charlotte Lozier Institute, July 2022).  As chemical abortions increase, so do complications.  According to PA abortion statistics released by the Department of Health, chemical abortions have increased 17% in the Commonwealth since 2017, but complications from abortions have increased 125% in the same time frame.

In approximately three quarters of the cases, the complication involves “retained products of conception.” In other words, parts of the child’s body remain in the mother’s womb, causing infection and potentially sepsis. Chemical abortion can also cause hemorrhaging that a young woman may not recognize as abnormal and dangerous.

At least 26 deaths have been attributed to chemical abortion by the FDA. But those deaths were overlooked in the doctors’ article as were the 4000 adverse effects reported between 2002-2015.  The rate of abortion-related emergency room visits following a chemical abortion increased over 500% during this time period, according to an analysis of Medicaid claims data. (Charlotte Lozier Institute, November 2021).

One might think that the percentage of deaths and complications is low given the widespread distribution of the abortion pill. But this is far from “settled science” because available data is incomplete.

In 2016 the Obama-era FDA lifted the reporting requirement for adverse effects for the abortion pill regimen. Currently, only 28 states require providers to report post-abortion complications. How can any doctor proclaim the safety of the abortion pill when we’ve stopped collecting data on how unsafe it can be?

The FDA has now permanently lifted the in-person examination requirement and has given the green light to retail pharmacies to dispense the abortion pill regimen.

Via a virtual visit or phone call, a desperate and fearful young woman can potentially answer a few questions before picking up the abortion pill at her neighborhood CVS or perhaps have it delivered to her by mail. Without any physical examination, either before or after the abortion.

Suspending the safety protocols that were once required raises troubling questions.

What if a woman is further along than she thinks? The FDA recommends chemical abortion only through the 10th week of pregnancy. Rates of complication increase as pregnancy progresses.

What if her pregnancy is ectopic? The abortion pill will not resolve this medical emergency and her life can be seriously endangered.

What if she is unknowingly carrying twins? She may deliver one child and not realize another remains in her womb.

What if she is unknowingly Rh negative? She may jeopardize her ability to have children in the future.

What if she is forever traumatized when she sees a tiny leg or hand or nose as she flushes away “her pregnancy tissue” that is really her child?

Chemical abortion may seem like an “easy” path out of an unexpected pregnancy. However, it is not without both short- and long-term physical and emotional risks, and more so now than ever.

Women in crisis deserve better than this distorted form of “medicine.” They deserve authentic tangible help that will support them through a pregnancy and beyond. And their unrepeatable children deserve the same chance at life that you, and I, and the abortion doctors have been given.

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Abortion

PA Abortion Totals Rise But the Number Would be Much Higher Were It Not for Pregnancy Help

January 2, 2023By

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                CONTACT:  MARIA GALLAGHER, PPLF

January 2, 2023                                                                                    717-541-0034

HARRISBURG, PA—The number of abortions rose in Pennsylvania during the year 2021, according to figures released by the PA Department of Health.

 “Every abortion is a tragedy, but the increase in the number of abortions in Pennsylvania is particularly disturbing,” said Maria Gallagher, legislative director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, the Keystone State affiliate of National Right to Life.

 “Pennsylvania women deserve better than abortion, which is the taking of an innocent, unrepeatable human life. We need to invest more in services that empower pregnant women to make life-affirming decisions for themselves and their families,” Gallagher added.

 Statistics show 33,206 abortions took place in Pennsylvania in 2021, an increase of 1,083 abortions over the 2020 total of 32,123.

 “Imagine how many kindergarten classes the number 1,083 represents. We mourn the loss of these precious children, who never got the chance to see their mother’s face,” Gallagher said.

 The upsurge in abortion totals appears to be driven by the ever-rising number of chemical abortions, which now outnumber surgical abortions. The Department of Health states that 322 reports of complications from abortions were recorded in 2021—a dramatic increase of nearly 35 percent over the previous year’s totals.

 “Why are so many complications being reported? This is a public health problem that deserves immediate attention from Health Department officials,” Gallagher added.

 The number of abortions in Pennsylvania would be much higher were it not for Pennsylvania’s groundbreaking Pregnancy and Parenting Support Program, which provides comprehensive counseling and support for women facing unexpected pregnancies. The program, administered by Real Alternatives, has become a model for the rest of the nation.

 The statistics would also be higher were it not for the many other pregnancy resource centers throughout Pennsylvania, which offer everything from diapers to day care referrals, and from mentoring to maternity clothes to pregnant women in need.    

 The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation is a grassroots right-to-life organization with members statewide.  As the state affiliate of National Right to Life, PPLF is committed to promoting the dignity and value of human life from conception to natural death and to restoring legal protection for preborn children.

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Abortion

When the “Experts” Get it Wrong

May 27, 2022By

A day after his fourth birthday, a team of educational experts told us our youngest child was severely autistic. During the hours-long assessment in which he was whisked away from us and surrounded by unfamiliar adults, the team concluded that he couldn’t talk.  In reality, he wouldn’t talk, an attached toddler hampered by anxiety that was amplified by the circumstances.

As my husband and I listened to their diagnosis, we experienced both surprise and heartbreak. We suspected he might be somewhere on the spectrum. But severely, profoundly autistic? I had taught such students in a fully inclusive classroom, some who were completely non-verbal and facing challenges that I didn’t see my son having.

When I voiced doubts about the results, I was told by the Ph.D. leading the team that I was simply in denial. She recommended a restrictive diet and possible placement in a school for children with autism.

Fourteen years later, after a mix of public, Catholic, and homeschool education, some speech and occupational therapy, dozens of amazing teachers and encouraging mentors, we have reached a milestone.

This week our son walked across the stage to receive his diploma. He graduated. From a traditional Catholic high school. With few accommodations. His strong grades excused him from all finals. He has a job and a driver’s license. He is a happy, gentle soul. In the fall he will be off to college, having been accepted at all three schools to which he applied.

So how did that team of experts get it so wrong?

There is no doubt our son is on the spectrum. He faced many sensory and developmental challenges growing up. Haircuts, barking dogs, and circle time at preschool launched him into meltdowns. Later, he struggled with public speaking, time management, and trying anything new, whether food, activity, or even shoes. By middle school, his anxiety was so great, we resorted to homeschooling for two years, one of the best decisions we ever made.

So yes, he has autism. But he also had far greater potential to overcome and to thrive than the “experts” predicted. Their methodology was flawed, resulting in an incorrect conclusion.

We are learning that some tests commonly used during pregnancy are also flawed. The New York Times  reported earlier this year that analysis of certain prenatal blood tests showed incorrect positive results about 85 percent of the time. Tragically, some couples given these diagnoses choose to abort their child. Many of them may have aborted perfectly healthy children. But even if not perfectly healthy, did their children not deserve even a chance at life?

I cringe to think of the day when the medical experts begin testing in utero for autism. How accurate will that test be? Will children thought to be on the spectrum be targeted for death as children with Down syndrome are today? How many more beautiful lives will be stolen from our world?

Whenever a diagnosis of any sort is given, we must remember that each and every person deserves the chance to live, grow, and love to the extent that they are capable.  We shouldn’t place qualifications or limits on any one’s life because of perceived obstacles.

Sometimes “experts” just get it wrong. Despite great gains made in medicine and education, predicting the future for any one individual is an inexact science. As much as we think we know, there are no crystal balls revealing what awaits any human life. There is no way to measure perseverance.  There is no test for human resiliency. No statistic on the power of love.

As for our family, much of the expert guidance we received throughout our son’s childhood was helpful. But we were always a bit guarded because of the initial diagnosis he was given. No one knows or loves your child as you do, so it’s important to trust your own instincts.

In watching our son proudly walk across the stage at graduation, I realized that his journey was actually comprised of millions of baby steps made possible by the encouragement and support of so many people in his life. Sometimes it was two steps forward, one step back, but he kept on.  And in doing so, he showed us all that he was much more capable than that first team of experts had thought.

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Abortion

Chemical abortions beyond 10 weeks pose even greater danger to women

February 16, 2022By

In 2020, over 16,000 women in Pennsylvania were given pills to abort their preborn children. For the first time, non-surgical abortions comprised 51% of abortions, the majority. While the 2020 PA Department of Health Abortion Statistic Report  lists these abortions as “medical” they are also known as chemical abortions.

Chemical abortion involves two medications: mifeprex (mifepristone)which blocks progesterone, cutting off nourishment, and misoprostel, which causes contractions, expelling the preborn child from the uterus.

The Food and Drug Administration does not recommend chemical abortion beyond the 10th week of pregnancy, stating ontheir website that a woman should not take Mifeprex if it has been more than 70 days since the first day of her last menstrual period.

Despite abortion industry claims, chemical abortions arenot safe, having a complication rate that is fourtimes that of first trimester surgical abortions.

In fact the FDA website acknowledges there were reports of 26 deaths of women associated with mifepristone since the product was approved in September 2000.

In addition, more than 4000 adverse events have been associated with chemical abortion, but the actual number is likely much higher as mandatory reporting of adverse effects was suspended in 2016.

While chemical abortion by its very nature is dangerous and traumatic when given within recommended FDA guidelines, it is even more so when done outside of them.

That is why the 2020PA Department of Health Abortion Statistic Report is so alarming. It shows that a total of 175 abortions were done after 10 weeks gestation in 2020.

Most shocking is that 26 chemical abortions occurred at 18-20 weeks gestation and 25 at 21-23 gestation.  Not only are babies at these stages fully formed, much larger, and pain-capable, but many are viable.

Premature babies as young as 21 weeks are being treated and saved in neonatal units across our country. But according to this report, others are being killed by chemical abortions, most likely in someone’s bathroom.

The abortion pill was not designed for later abortions, which is why the FDA has not extended its use past 10 weeks.

With chemical abortion it is more likely that a woman will experience complications the further along she is in her pregnancy. These complications can include incomplete abortion, retained products of conception, excessive bleeding, and infection. The abortion pill failure rate also increases over time.

Another disturbing statistic from the Pennsylvania report shows a 344% increase in sharp curettage abortions in just one year, a procedure that is often used for incomplete abortions.

So while the report claims that there were fewer complications from abortion than in the previous year, the dramatic rise in the sharp curettage procedure, in which the uterus is scraped, may reflect a higher rate of failed chemical abortions.

So we must ask who is prescribing chemical abortions beyond their recommended time frame and why are they putting women’s health in jeopardy? Are women warned of the risks? Are they warned of the psychological impact of delivering not just “pregnancy tissue” but a fully formed lifeless baby?

We can and must do better.  This is not health care. Or empowerment.  Or reproductive justice. It is a betrayal of vulnerable women.

Every abortion steals an innocent human life. And every chemical abortion risks great harm to the mother, especially those done beyond the recommended guidelines.

It shouldn’t be happening in Pennsylvania or anywhere.

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Abortion

Pennsylvania Abortion Totals Increase

January 3, 2022By

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE             CONTACT:  MARIA GALLAGHER, PPLF
January 4, 2022  717-541-0034

Pennsylvania Abortion Totals Increase;
Pandemic Partly Responsible for the Rise

HARRISBURG, Pa. – The number of abortions in Pennsylvania increased in 2020 by 3.5% according to the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, the Keystone State affiliate of National Right to Life.

Statistics released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health show 1,105 more abortions occurred in 2020 compared to 2019. In all, 32,123abortions took place in 2020—a year when the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the Commonwealth.

In a year when the Wolf Administration refused to allow Pennsylvanians to undergo elective surgeries, abortion operations were permitted to perform abortions unabated.

“The increase in abortions in Pennsylvania is truly alarming,” said Maria Gallagher, legislative director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation. “When many other businesses were forced to shut their doors, the abortion industry, led by abortion giant Planned Parenthood, continued to operate.

“Every abortion represents the tragic loss of an innocent human life. In addition, mothers are left to grieve children who are lost to abortion. It is a family tragedy of epic proportions,” Gallagher added.

In Pennsylvania, abortion totals would be much higher were it not for the many pregnancy resource centers which provide free counseling and material assistance for pregnant women facing challenging circumstances. Pennsylvania’s state-assisted Pregnancy and Parenting Support Program offers true alternatives and options to women in their time of need.

“No pregnant woman inPennsylvania should feel as if she is alone. Pregnancy help centers stand readyto offer no-cost assistance and the emotional support every pregnant womandeserves,” Gallagher added.

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The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation is a grassroots right-to-life organization with members statewide.  As the state affiliate of National Right to Life, PPLF is committed to promoting the dignity and value of human life from conception to natural death and to restoring legal protection for preborn children.

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Abortion

The Pill that Kills, Delivered by Mail

April 26, 2021By

If a vaccine were to kill 24 people and injure 3,000 more, would that vaccine remain available?

What about an abortion drug?

Despite the recognized danger of the drug Mifeprex (mifepristone), the Biden Administration has lifted safety restrictions on the abortion pill, erasing medically-necessary precautions that have been in place since FDA approval in 2000.

By tossing out these needed safeguards, the administration and the abortion industry are playing Russian roulette with women’s lives, handing them “a loaded gun” in the form of chemical abortion.

According to a statement released by the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), which represents approximately 7,000 women’s healthcare practitioners, the abortion pill has led to at least 24 deaths and 3,000 injuries, with 500 more women at risk of dying had they not reached emergency medical care in time.

Since the FDA stopped collecting data on the adverse effects of the drug in 2016, the complication rate could be much higher.  Death due to abortion often goes unreported, so it is difficult to determine the true fatality rate of the drug.

Earlier this month, a 23-year-old Argentinian woman died from a chemical abortion after it was made legal in her country.

Now, in our country, the most pro-abortion President in history jeopardizes the lives of unsuspecting young women as they are misled into believing they can safely abort at home.

No longer will an in-person exam be required to confirm the gestational age of the child or to rule out an ectopic pregnancy or multiple babies or other complicating conditions or to determine if a woman is RH negative and in need of a Rhogam injection.

Rather, the potent drugs can be delivered to a mailbox or pharmacy simply through a tele-health visit with an abortion provider. Planned Parenthood Keystone is already enthusiastically promoting this “service” on their website.

The two-pill abortion procedure is only approved up through10 weeks, but many young women are frequently uncertain as to how far along they are. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology estimates that about 50% of women are wrong about their gestational age when relying on recall of their last cycle, which is why determining the baby’s age by ultrasound had been standard practice in the past. Taking the drugs past 10 weeks significantly increases the chance of complications.

But the abortion drug is dangerous earlier in pregnancy too. AAPLOG notes, “A Finnish study involving nearly 50,000 women who had abortions at 9 weeks or less showed that immediate adverse events were four times more likely with chemical abortion than surgical.”

That is why the safety regulations, known as REMs(Risk Evaluation and Mitigation), were enacted in the first place.  There is significant risk of hemorrhaging,infection, incomplete abortion, and more that can threaten a young woman’slife.

“This requirement is not restrictive-it is protective,” states AAPLOG.

And while there is a definite physical risk to women, there is also a tremendous emotional and psychological impact.  Young women are left alone to endure hours of severe cramping and bleeding to deliver and dispose of a dead child.

It’s hard to understand that anyone could possibly think such trauma is part of empowering women. Rather than given authentic support at a difficult moment, women are given a pill to kill, one that might kill them as well as their baby.

But under the misleading title of “reproductive justice,” that’s a risk the Biden Administration is willing to take.

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Abortion

Following the Actual Science

April 7, 2021By

While the celestial heavens and the deepest pockets of the ocean remain mysterious to us on many levels, modern technology has made them less so, providing new and fascinating insights that we once lacked.

The same is true of another once baffling frontier: the womb.

Although it is the origination point of every human being who has ever walked this earth, for the greater part of history we’ve known little about our first home and how we came to be.

It was only in the late 1800’s, for example, that scientists understood that the union of male and female sex cells creates another human being. But beyond that, much remained a mystery.

Without any means toglimpse into the gestational cosmos, scientists could only speculate as to whatoccurs during pregnancy.  Even well intothe 20th Century, we possessed surprisingly little information aboutprenatal development.

As late as the 1969 edition of the Cumulative Index Medicus, a massive book listing every article published in every medical journal in the world, had just five articles under the heading of “fetus, physiology and anatomy of.”

The void of facts madethe product of abortion-on-demand easier to market. After all, it (not he or she) was just a clump of cells.

The late Dr. Bernard Nathanson addressed this lack of empirical data on human development in his autobiography The Hand of God.  And he discussed the technological lightning bolt that struck him in the late 1970’s which led him to abandon his lucrative abortion practice and leadership role in the pro-abortion movement to become a staunch pro-life advocate.

That transformative tool was ultrasound which provided a window that revealed the miraculous process of human development. These scientific advancements, along with those arising from the study of genetics, sparked an abundance of research into life in utero.

Nathanson credits ultrasound with helping us “to learnmore about the fetus since its advent than in almost all the history of medicinebefore that time.”

By 1979, he accounted for twenty-eight hundred articles on fetology in the Index Medicus, and by 1994 close to five thousand. Now, almost 30 years later, how much more research has been done and articles written on human life in its earliest stages?

How little we knew then;how much more we know now.

It might be easier to understand someone’s support of abortion back in the “Dark Ages” when so little of fetology was known.

But how can anyone today, especially those who seemingly espouse science as their barometer of all things true, justify abortion?

They would have to be blind to facts. Deaf to a heartbeat. Indifferent to an innocent life moving right before their eyes. Numb to dismemberment. Desensitized to a violent death.

Callous to the crude disposal of human life.

They would be and, infact, are the ultimate science-deniers.

So let us be relentless messengers of the beautiful biological truths we have learned in the last halfcentury.

Let us incessantly proclaim the fact that every human life begins at the moment of fertilization.

Let us truly follow the science to build a culture of life.

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